1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus adopting, for instance, an ink jet system, and more particularly, to a recording apparatus constructed so that a distance (head gap) between a platen and a recording head can be adjusted.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus is known which has a construction including a carriage for holding a recording head, a platen for supporting one surface (rear or back surface) of a recording medium in an area opposing a discharge port surface of the recording head, and several rollers for conveying the recording medium.
In the recording apparatus, a predetermined distance (hereinafter referred to as “head gap”) is secured between the recording medium supported on the platen, and the discharge port surface of the recording head and recording is performed by discharging ink from the recording head toward the recording medium in this state. Note that it is known that a smaller head gap is more advantageous in obtaining a clear and high-quality recording result.
Incidentally, the recording medium onto which the recording apparatus can perform recording is not limited to a general recording sheet (plain paper) but includes various other media such as a postal card and an OHP sheet (resin thin plate). In addition, processed paper (such as a sheet with punch holes, a perforated sheet, and a sheet with an arbitrary contour shape) an envelope, and the like are also usable, which means that more and more kinds of recording media have been usable.
In a case of a recording apparatus that performs recording onto such various recording media, a construction in which a head gap can be adjusted in accordance with the thicknesses of the recording media is preferable in order to obtain favorable recording results with this construction. For instances a construction may be used in which a classification into a case where recording is performed onto relatively thin recording media (such as plain paper) and a case where recording is performed onto relatively thick recording media (such as a postal card) is made and the head gap is switched in a two-step manner. With this construction, it is possible to adjust the head gap as appropriate in accordance with the thicknesses of the recording media, which makes it possible to obtain favorable recording results.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,925 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus which includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a head gap. The adjustment mechanism is provided for a carriage, and the head gap is adjusted through a vertical motion of the carriage in response to an operation of the mechanism by a user.
With the construction described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,925, however, the head gap is adjusted through the vertical motion of the carriage, so it is required to secure a space for the vertical motion of the carriage in the casing of the apparatus. There is a case where the construction including such the space is disadvantageous in miniaturization of the recording apparatus, and the conventional recording apparatus has room for improvement in this regard.